Local Strawberries Ready For Father's Day

Sunday, 14 June 2015 07:15

After frost delayed strawberry crops, Red Barn Berries is ready for Father's Day.

OXFORD COUNTY - It looks like strawberries will be perfect just in time for Dad's special day. After a late spring frost blanketed the region it slowed the progression of the berries to grow at Red Barn Berries located just outside of Woodstock. Co-owner of Red Barn Berries and Veggies Sue Hilborn offers a progress report as to how the fields are coming long. "We have started picking berries, and taking them to market. The next week or so will be continue to be a limited supply of strawberries but we are hoping to have a better supply by Father's Day which is a week Sunday. We will open up for pick your own so berry season is going to start really rolling off in about 10 days time."

Father's Day cannot come soon enough for the group at the Red Barn Berries and Veggies because that is when they feel the supply will become much larger. Hilborn explains how the strawberries are looking moving to the mid to late crop. "I think there was probably a little more damage done over the winter then we originally had anticipated. As far as the plants they are not really growing fast to get to full size and ready to set fruit. There was damage on our farm, it is showing up as less fruit available but later on the mid season and late varieties look tremendous."

It appears the only one who doesn't want to enjoy locally grown Oxford County strawberries is Mother Nature. Hilborn knows it has been a slow start but the remainder of the season is looking great even though it will be short. "It will be very limited picking but after the following week, we should be open for pick your own full speed ahead. I don't know if we ever picked berries past the 10th of July, but certainly it goes well into the first week of July so at least 3 weeks to 3 and a half weeks." Hilborn adds that it will be one more week of limited supply before the season gets fully underway.